


PEOPLE GAME

by terrierlee



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, Jock Yuuri, M/M, Miscommunication, Vicchan Lives, asexual Victor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-02-06
Packaged: 2019-03-14 14:31:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13592073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/terrierlee/pseuds/terrierlee
Summary: The world was laughing at Yuuri. The New Year had just started, he had misplaced his letterman jacket during the break, and he was being laughed at.He was sure this was one big prank, and Phichit was at the source.Why else would he be called to the school auditorium and find Victor Nikiforov waiting for him?Victor Nikiforov who had even more rumors about him after young Yuri Plisetsky enrolled at the start of the semester and no one could find the relation between the two.Yuuri rubbed the back of his head, glancing around. Surely if this was a joke, a set up, then Phichit should be nearby. And if it wasn’t Phichit, Yuuri was ready to bet his entire football career that Chris was involved. However, the auditorium was completely empty, save for the two of them.Lowering his hand, Yuuri leaned against a chair, “So…?”“Right!” Came a high pitched yell from Victor’s direction.Was… Yuuri squinted, leaning forward, was Victor blushing?





	PEOPLE GAME

**Author's Note:**

> One of these days I will write a YOI fic without referencing tokusatsu music in the title. Today is not that day.
> 
> The copy of Lonesome Dove I own is 945 pages long. Also, Janey is probably one of the best characters in the whole novel. However, she does meet a Bad End, as Victor will find out once he continues reading.

“Nikiforov dated the entire marching band last year.”

“He got kicked out of school for six months.”

“He’s the reason Mr. Feltsman and Miss Baranovskaya are getting a divorce!”

“A homewrecker!”

“My friend’s mom saw him leaving Feltsman’s house with Baranovskaya. They got in a car together.”

“Feltsman threatened him with a knife, and the next day, Nikiforov came to school with short hair. Coincidence? I think not!”

“I heard the only way he gets good grades is because he does _‘favors’_.”

“’Favors’?”

“ _You know_.”

* * *

 

Yuuri had heard every single rumor there was about Victor Nikiforov. It wasn’t that hard, seeing as how Victor was the most beautiful boy in school. He had seen every single play that the other man had starred in, after his childhood friend Yuuko had dragged him to opening night his freshmen year.

It was like a never ending chain of surprises. So when Yuuri first heard the rumors, he was skeptical about them. Standing in the middle of the men’s locker room after football tryouts, the topic had gotten to uncomfortable areas, at least to Yuuri. He hid his face in his locker, trying his best not to gag at the smell of his socks.

“Yeah, there was this big orgy and Nikiforov was in the middle of it all. Some say he even planned the whole thing.”

“Oh come on!” A nearby locker slammed shut, forcing Yuuri to jump. “If that was true, then he wouldn’t have shown up for school the next day.”

“Yeah!” Someone to Yuuri’s left piped up, “And where would you even get that many people for an orgy?”

Yuuri risked a peek out from his locker, the football captain was leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest, “It’s easy when you’re dating the entire marching band. The guy has no shame.”

* * *

 

The world was laughing at Yuuri. The New Year had just started, he had misplaced his letterman jacket during the break, and he was being laughed at.

He was sure this was one big prank, and Phichit was at the source.

Why else would he be called to the school auditorium and find Victor Nikiforov waiting for him?

Victor Nikiforov who had even more rumors about him after young Yuri Plisetsky enrolled at the start of the semester and no one could find the relation between the two.

Yuuri rubbed the back of his head, glancing around. Surely if this was a joke, a set up, then Phichit should be nearby. And if it wasn’t Phichit, Yuuri was ready to bet his entire football career that Chris was involved. However, the auditorium was completely empty, save for the two of them.

Lowering his hand, Yuuri leaned against a chair, “So…?”

“Right!” Came a high pitched yell from Victor’s direction.

Was… Yuuri squinted, leaning forward, was Victor blushing?

A bright flush covered Victor’s cheeks as he played with his fingers. His eyes roamed the room, focusing on everything except Yuuri.

In the corner wall, the clock ticked, time passing slowly as Yuuri waited. Still Victor remained silent.

Definitely a joke, Yuuri thought to himself, Phichit is gonna jump out from behind the curtains and insist he pulled a fast one on his best friend. No way was Yuuri going to let that happen.

“Well,” He took a step back, “if there’s nothing, I’m gonna go. Football practice is about to start.”

“Wait!” Victor lurched forward, long fingers wrapping around Yuuri’s wrist to hold him in place. He refused to make eye contact, his heated gaze focused on the floor, “I… I like you, and I wanted to know if you wanted to go out with me.”

Yuuri froze.

What.

The blush on Victor’s cheeks only darkened, “I know you’re super popular, and I probably don’t show up on your radar—but—I just wanted you to know—”

_What._

“Ridiculous.”

The word fell out before he could stop it, a classic case of foot-in-mouth. Before him, Victor shuddered, his face closing up as he stood up, releasing Yuuri’s wrist from his grip.

“Right.” His response was clipped, chilled, as he turned to face the door, “Thanks for meeting with me. I won’t keep you from your practice.” He made a move towards the door.

As if his feet moved on their own, Yuuri found himself stumbling forward, grabbing Victor’s hand to stop him.

“Wait." He took a breath. "Okay.”

Victor stopped. There was a sharp intake of breath. “Okay?”

“Let’s go out.” He winced, “On a date.”

Slowly, Victor turned, a smile bright on his face, “Really?”

“Y-yeah.” He cleared his thought, “Be my boyfriend, Victor.”

And oh. Victor turned around completely, wrapping his arms tight around Yuuri’s shoulders, “Yes!”

Numbly, Yuuri raised his arms, hesitantly doing the same to Victor’s torso. “Mm. Yeah.”

Yuuri arrived to practice in a daze, only snapping out of it as Phichit gave him a funny look.

“What’s up? Why were you late for practice?”

Scoffing, Yuuri slipped off his shirt, “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

* * *

 

“You live with Mr. Feltsman?”

Victor paused as he turned the knob to his room. He blinked. “Yakov’s my godfather. I live with him during the week and with Lilia over the weekends.” He gave a small shrug, resuming his way into his room, “They’re in the middle of a divorce, so I try to stay out of their way.” He left the door open, and Yuuri followed.

Victor’s room was… clean. Aside from some stray dog toys, the walls were bare and the room looked… almost as if no one lived there.

When Victor had invited Yuuri over that same day, he hadn’t expected… well, he hadn’t expected a lot of things. Like Victor apparently lived with Mr. Feltsman, was his _godson_ of all things, and he had a _dog_.

As soon as the two arrived at the modest two-story, a large ball of fluff had shot from the porch, springing up and pushing Yuuri flat on his back.

“Makkachin!” Victor’s voice was high, higher than when they were in the auditorium, as he struggled to move the large poodle. “Yuuri—I’m so sorry! Makkachin’s never done this before!”

Yuuri felt a laugh erupt from deep in his chest, “It’s… it’s fine, no worries.” He lifted a hand, smiling as Makkachin accepted a pat on his head. “What a good dog.” Makkachin gave Yuuri one long lick across the face, leaving a trail of slobber in its wake.

Finally content, the poodle gave way to Victor’s pushing, slipping out from under his owner’s arms and back onto the porch. Yuuri sat up, wiping the excess drool from his face. “I didn’t know you have a dog.”

Victor nodded, leaning back on his hands, “Ever since he was a tiny puppy.” He tilted his head, “Okay, so maybe not tiny. Makkachin’s always been kinda big.”

Catching each other’s eye, they shared a laugh.

“Mr. Katsuki.”

Yuuri straightened his back, as Yakov Feltsman exited the house, “I wasn’t aware you were coming over today.”

“Sorry, Yakov!” Victor got to his feet, brushing off stray blades of grass from his pants, “I forgot to text you that I was having company over.”

The older man simply crossed his arms, “Just remember my rules, Vitya.”

Nodding, Victor reached down, offering his hand to Yuuri, “Come on, let’s go inside?”

As they walked past Yakov, Yuuri could feel holes burning into his back. He held back a shudder until the door closed behind them.

And for the rest of the afternoon, they did homework.

* * *

 

Come to think of it, they spent a lot of time studying.

Yuuri rubbed his neck, a tension headache slowly creeping up on him if he wasn’t careful. He had a big test the next day, followed by a big football game. It was the last until the playoffs, and Celestino was pushing drills at nearly every practice. They had to be ready.

From his pocket, his cellphone buzzed, alerting him to a text message. He ignored it, only feeling slightly guilty. He was always getting random texts from numbers he didn’t know and found the best way to handle them was to ignore them. Usually he would go through and see if Phichit or Chris had sent him anything important, but other than not, he typically went to bed once he didn’t see Phichit or Chris’ names.

Besides, Yuuri tapped his pencil against his math homework, it was rude to look at his phone when he was hanging with Victor. He scribbled the next part of the equation. Victor never looked at his phone while they were together unless it was to look at dog videos.

His phone continued to buzz in his pocket, the telltale sign of someone trying to call him this time.

He reached into his pocket, taking out his phone. Frowning, he answered.

“Phichit?”

“Yuuri!” Came his best friend’s voice, loud in his ear, “Ciao Ciao sent out an emergency practice. Chris is getting everyone else and told me to tell you.”

“Oh.” Glancing down at his unfinished homework, he bit his lower lip, “I was just doing some homework.”

“No worries! Ciao Ciao said he’d give us passes to give our teachers in case we couldn’t finish any assignments.” He heard the distinct sound of shouts from his teammates over the line, “Hurry and get over here, Yuuri! We can’t wait forever!” The sentence ended with a firm click signaling a hang up.

Yuuri sighed, putting his papers together before standing to his feet. As soon as he did, however, Victor reappeared two mugs in hand.

Victor held up the mug in his left, “I brought you some tea.” He paused, glancing at the pile of papers in Yuuri’s hands, the disarray left on the table, “What’s… Are you leaving?”

Ducking his head, Yuuri flushed, “Celestino called for an emergency practice before tomorrow’s game. I have to go.”

“Oh.”

Two mugs appeared in his line of vision as Victor started to close a few books, “Well, can’t have your team waiting. We can work on our assignments another day.”

Yuuri nodded, stuffing his backpack with his papers and books, before sliding the strap over his shoulder. He hesitated, shifting his weight from one foot to the next. “If you’re not doing anything tomorrow, you should… You should come to the game. We’re playing against Almavivo.”

He didn’t wait for a response, giving a small wave as he exited the room, “See you later!”

* * *

 

Euphoria filled his body as Yuuri was raised by his fellow teammates. They finished the game one point ahead of the opposing team. To his left, Phichit was crying while yelling, “WE DID IT!” at the top of his lungs.

The accompanying shouts lifted into the air as Yuuri was raised even higher. A flash of silver caught his attention, and as he turned to see, he was lowered before the giant cooler of Gatorade was emptied over his head.

“Party at Giacometti’s to celebrate!”

* * *

 

Come Monday, the entire school was informed of the major victory their football team landed over the weekend. Yuuri could hardly walk two steps before someone stopped him to congratulate him on the win. No matter how many times he insisted it was a team effort, everyone kept patting him on the back, telling him a job well done.

By the time lunch rolled around, Yuuri’s back was sore and he dreaded sitting at the cafeteria. He tightened his grip on his lunch bag, keeping an eye open. He looked past his usual table, where Phichit, Chris, and the rest of his teammates sat, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t seem to find who he was looking for.

Phichit’s arm was waving, catching Yuuri’s attention. “Yuuri! I saved your spot for you!”

Letting a small smile slip on his face, he shook his head. At the refusal, Phichit didn’t press and instead went back to his conversation.

It was near deafening, and Yuuri needed out. He couldn’t stand to be congratulated anymore.

He also wondered…

He didn’t flee the cafeteria. No, he merely hastened his walk before anyone could stop him. He sidestepped around the Crispino twins and Emil, thus hiding him from Minami who was sure to stop Yuuri and talk to him for all of lunch period. Minami was not the person he wanted to be around.

As Yuuri walked through the halls, his mood continued to sour. He turned the corner, stopping only when the door to a classroom opened and Mr. Feltsman exited.

“And remember, Vitya, don’t touch anything while I’m gone.”

There was no response from within, but the older man nodded as the door swung shut behind him. He turned his head, eyes narrowing as he looked at Yuuri.

“Katsuki.”

“M-Mr. Feltsman.”

Eyes still narrowed, Yakov moved forward, “Good game last Friday.” He made no other comment, breezing past Yuuri as he made his way down the hall.

Through the small window in the door, Yuuri peered in. Inside, Victor sat in the corner of the classroom, a sandwich in hand while a book was in the other.

Before he could stop himself, Yuuri tapped on the glass. Victor jerked in his seat, sandwich dropping onto the desk as he looked at the door. Even from behind the door, Yuuri could see as Victor’s eyes widened and he hurriedly got to his feet. Yuuri took a step back as the door opened.

“Yuuri.”

“Hi.”

Glancing around the hall, Victor kept his voice low. “What are you doing here?”

Yuuri tilted his head, “You weren’t in the cafeteria. I thought maybe we could have lunch together.”

Victor opened his mouth only to shut it and then open it again. “Oh.”

He lifted his own lunch, spying the remains of Victor’s sandwich still on the lone desk, “Is that okay?”

“Y-yeah!” Victor moved back, keeping the door open as Yuuri let himself in, taking a seat at the desk in front of Victor’s. Beside the sandwich, in his haste to get up, lay a small novel.

Yuuri shifted in his seat so he straddled the back, facing Victor once he sat back down, and laid his lunch on the desk. He untied the bag, lifting out two cases and a small thermos. Once his lunch was ready to be consumed, he glanced at the book. “What are you reading?”

“Lonesome Dove.” Victor had sat down, running his fingers over the back cover. “It’s about cowboys. And they’re trying to start a ranch. It’s…” He gave a small shrug, “There’s a lot going on, but it’s really interesting.”

Yuuri moved his hand forward, giving the book a small poke, “When did you start reading it?”

Running a hand through his silver locks, Victor glanced to his right, “Saturday.”

“…Victor, you’re almost halfway through the book.”

“Well like I said, it’s very interesting.”

Yuuri picked up the book, leafing through it while being mindful of the poodle bookmark. “There’s over nine hundred pages.”

Victor dipped his head, fingers pressing deep grooves into his sandwich, “What was part of the appeal, yes.”

“ _Victor_.”

Lowering his sandwich, Victor made a face at his squished lunch, “Anyways, why aren’t you hanging out with your team? You guys won, right?”

Yuuri had picked up his chopsticks, scooping up a small clump of rice when he paused. While it was true he should be in the cafeteria, with his team, he was overwhelmed by the praise and it was usually around these times that that annoying voice in his head would wake up and whisper how inadequate he was as team captain.

And… that was the last thing he wanted at the moment.

He resumed, chewing on his rice to give him time to answer before he swallowed.

“Everyone has been talking to me about the game. I just… want to focus on other things.” Keeping his eyes on his lunch, Yuuri jolted in his seat as long fingers rested on his free hand. When he looked up, Victor was watching him with a softness in his expression.

“Thank you, Yuuri.”

Yuuri felt a frown starting to form. What did Victor have to thank him for? Before he could open his mouth to ask, Victor gave his hand a small pat, breaking contact.

“Let me tell you about Lonesome Dove! There’s this really great character, her name is Janey!”

* * *

 

“What a darling dog!”

The last thing Yuuri ever imagined he would see in his lifetime was definitely Victor kneeling on the floor, cooing at the toy poodle as he scratched under his dog’s ears.

Very briefly, he wondered if Victor felt the same way when Yuuri greeted Makkachin whenever he came over to visit, but quickly shot that thought down. Victor acting all smitten cause of Yuuri? As if.

Victor glanced up from where he knelt, fingers still nestled in the toy poodle’s curls before looking down again. A smile was bright on his face, “You’re such a good dog! What’s your name?”

Yuuri lowered himself to his knees, settling to watch as Victor continued to pet Vicchan.

“Vicchan.” The poodle’s head perked up, his tongue hanging out as he let out a small bark. Yuuri smiled, “His name is Vicchan.”

“He’s precious!”

When Yuuri invited Victor over, he never realized they would be stopped at the front door by Vicchan, who insisted on all the attention. Usually, Mari took him out for a walk when she got home from class and then after dinner, Yuuri took him for one last walk.

Giving Vicchan one last pat on the head, Yuuri stood up, Victor following suit and letting the younger man lead the way into the apartment.

Yuuri’s room was modest, the only large piece of furniture being his bed that was pushed up against the wall underneath the window and his desk on the other side of the room. Beside the desk was a TV, propped up against the wall with a game console attached to it.

“Ahh…” Yuuri rubbed the back of his neck, “There’s not much to do here, sorry.”

“That’s not true!” Victor plopped down near the TV, holding up two game controllers, “I don’t play much, what video games do you have?”

In the end, they decided on Mario Kart, Yuuri choosing Toad as his main.

“Then I’ll go with this one!” Princess Peach swiveled in her car, and Yuuri let out a chuckle.

“Alright, I won’t go easy on you. I’m the reigning game night champion.”

Four races later, Victor leaned forward, hiding his face in his folded arms, conceding defeat, “Not fair, Yuuri!”

“I did warn you…”

* * *

 

Having a childhood friend involved in theater meant supporting them when they were cast even in small parts. So when it was revealed that Yuuko got the female lead in Grease, of course Yuuri was happy for her. Nishigori had even auditioned and was cast alongside Otabek Altin and Yuri Plisetsky. Yuuko had supplied a ticket for Yuuri so he could come to opening night, free of charge.

Yuuri knew, in the back of his mind, that Victor was also involved in the musical in some way. Lilia Baranovskaya was known to cast Victor in every play, no matter the production. There was even one occasion where Victor played Rapunzel while he still had long hair, and Mila Babicheva played the prince.

Leafing through the play guide, he stopped on the cast list and there, at the very top right before Yuuko’s, was Victor’s name. He was playing Danny, the male lead. Of course he was.

The play went without a hitch, and the first act ended with an applause.

It was during the second act that everything went horribly wrong.

Not the play itself, no, but with Yuuri.

The Flaming Dukes challenged the T-Birds to a rumble, and Victor sprints onto the stage wearing track pants and a letterman jacket.

It was then that everything froze around Yuuri.

 _Because that was his letterman jacket._ In large print letters, KATSUKI was clear as day on the back. Every time Victor turned, Yuuri’s last name flashed like a beacon.

Victor continued the scene on stage, letting the greasers know he wasn’t able to participate in the rumble due to it conflicting with a track and field meet.

But Yuuri heard none of it.

When the play came to a close, and Yuuri genuinely felt terrible he zoned out and missed the rest of the play, he didn’t realize his feet had lead him to the stage until he was right in front of it, the members of the cast surrounding him.

Yuuko was still in her tight leather pants and leather jacket, Nishigori had an arm around her shoulder, laughing at something being said. They looked in his direction and waved him closer, and Nishigori pulled him into a fierce hug.

“Yuuri! It’s great that you made it!”

“Y-yeah.”

“Yuuri!” Yuuko’s eyes sparkled, “You never told us you gave your jacket to Victor Nikiforov! When did you do it?”

Nishigori laid a hand on Yuuri’s head, ruffling up his already unruly hair, “And here you said you lost it over winter break, you sly dog.”

“I…”

“Oi!” Yuuri’s head wiped around as little Yuri Plisetsky stalked his way over, his leather jacket outlined in tiger print. He came to a stop just before them, his glare sharp, “You guys didn’t suck today.”

Yuuko gave a little gasp, her smile wide, “Thank you Yuri!”

Yuri clicked his teeth before seeming to realize Yuuri was there, “And you!”

Yuuri jumped, only it was limited by Nishigori’s arm weighing him down, “Y-yeah?”

“You and Victor are disgusting.”

Without waiting for a response, Yuri turned on his heel, stuffing his hands deep into his pockets as he made his way through the auditorium.

By the time Yuuko and Nishigori were ready to go home, Victor had not shown up after curtain call to mingle. Yuuri went on home and fell asleep, promptly forgetting about the whole letterman jacket thing.

* * *

 

“Yuuri Katsuki once fought a wild boar and won. He served it for dinner that night.”

“He singlehanded saved me from getting hit by a car!”

“He played matchmaker for his friends Yuuko and Takeshi. He’s just that nice.”

“They say he can lift a whole row of bleachers. With cheerleaders sitting on them.”

“Once he stared at me, and my skin cleared the next day, I passed all my classes, and I got asked out by my crush.”

“Katsuki is magic, I tell you. Only good things happen around him.”

* * *

 

_It was New Year’s Eve and Victor Nikiforov was stuck at home. Lying in bed, he stared at the ceiling. Makkachin rolled over from where he rested at the foot of the bed. With a glance at the clock, there was only about fifteen minutes or so before the New Year started and Victor… felt nothing._

_There was no urge to go out and party, it wasn’t like he was invited to any New Year’s party, and Yakov had retired early for the night._

_“New Year’s Eve is just like any other day. Tomorrow will be the same.”_

_From outside, fireworks went off, jerking Makkachin from his sleep before nestling down again._

_The latest novel in his list was next to his pillow, waiting to be read but Victor made no move to pick it up, instead turning on his side, gaze fixing on the wall._

_The clock continued to tick, the second hand moving closer and closer to the twelve, and Victor was so, so tired. But sleep was the last thing from his mind._

_He shut his eyes, trying to will his mind to sleep when he heard it._

_Something was tapping against his window._

_Rolling over, Victor sat up, jostling Makkachin as he slid off his bed, not caring that the covers shifted with him. He’d remake his bed later. He moved closer to his window, startling as he peered into one Yuuri Katsuki’s wide brown eyes._

_Victor Nikiforov knew all about Yuuri Katsuki. How, during sophomore year, he made the football team and by junior year he was made team captain, even though JC, or whatever his name was, was a shoe-in for the position. That he lived in an apartment complex close to the high school, and his two childhood friends lived both below and above him. He knew that Yuuri had an older sister who was an alumni, having graduated just a year before, and he had a toy poodle that was simply precious. The list of people who had crushes on Yuuri exceeded his graduating class, but that didn’t matter because Yuuri was considered everyone’s. If you just spoke to him once, it was enough._

_Yuuri Katsuki was a social butterfly of the highest variety and there was no reason why he should be right outside Victor’s bedroom window._

_Especially since Victor’s bedroom was on the second floor._

_Yuuri raised his hand again, tapping it louder against the glass, until Victor came closer, lifting the window and letting in the cold night air._

_“What—“_

_“Victor!” Yuuri slurred, reaching into the room and tumbling to the floor, “Happy New Year!” He giggled, sitting up and leaning back against the wall so he could look up._

_“Um,” Victor glanced outside, but there was no one else, meaning… Did Yuuri walk all the way over here? In the cold? He shut his window, making sure to keep some distance between them. “What are you doing here?”_

_“You!” Yuuri raised a fist, his pointer finger outstretched, “You weren’t at JJ’s! Everyone is there! You should be there!” He lowered his hand, eyes shut, “There’s no… you should be here—there—you should be with me.”_

_Taking a seat on his bed, Victor tilted his head, “Did you… walk the entire way here?”_

_Yuuri jerked up, eyes opening with a gasp, “Dance with me!”_

_Victor felt his head shake, as Yuuri struggled to his feet. He was clearly inebriated, which made Victor glad he wasn’t invited to whatever party the other man came from. Yakov was strict about liquor, making sure Victor was at least home before he got deliberately drunk._

_Yuuri stopped just before the bed, taking Victor’s hands in his own._

_“Dance with me,” he repeated, pulling Victor to his feet and holding him close._

_Without realizing it, Victor slipped into the follower’s pose, letting Yuuri lead him around the room. Even though there was no music to be heard, fireworks continued to go off outside, but Victor’s senses were dazed as he was waltzed around his bedroom. Yuuri’s eyes were bright as he giggled, reaching up to place his forehead against Victor’s._

_Victor only snapped out of his trance when the noise from the fireworks multiplied and Yuuri leaned in close, his lips ghosting over Victor’s before moving away._

_“Happy New Year.”_

_Victor let out a shiver at the lack of contact, suddenly feeling cold as if he were outside and not in the warmth of his bedroom._

_There was a rustle of movement before something was placed over his shoulders. Yuuri was in front of him, his hands firm on Victor’s shoulders._

_“You shouldn’t be cold; have my jacket.”_

_“I…”_

_Yuuri leaned in again, his breath tickling Victor’s ear, “Keep it. You should always be warm.”_

_The jacket was a perfect fit, which was weird since Yuuri was smaller than him, but he made no comment on it, letting the jacket stay resting on his shoulders as Yuuri grinned, seeming content._

_Victor opened his mouth, about to say something, he didn’t know what exactly but he needed to sure this was in fact real and not a dream, when the door to his room opened and Yakov stood, eyes narrowed in a glare._

_The next five minutes were a blur as Yakov kicked Yuuri out of the house, telling him to meet him by his car so he could take the boy home._

_When school resumed the following Monday, Yuuri had failed to contact him._

* * *

 

On every Tuesday and Thursday, football practice was put on hold so the team could participate in extra training in the form of ballet. Celestino insisted that everyone was required to take it, yes Otabek, even you.

It was Tuesday afternoon and Yuuri was in the middle of stretching, Phichit to his left and Chris on his right. The teacher had not appeared yet, but Yuuri knew she would be arriving, expecting the team stretched and ready to go. Even though she was an old friend of his mother’s, Minako Okukawa was a stern ballet teacher and she was a force to be reckoned with. With Minako teaching ballet, it left Lilia Baranovskaya in charge of the drama class.

The door to the studio slammed opened, revealing Yuri Plisetsky. He glowered as he settled in the corner of the room, going right into his stretches. Otabek glanced in his direction but didn’t make a comment, instead focusing on his own body. It only took a minute before the deafening silence was broken by Yuri standing to his feet, stretches forgotten. He turned, facing the rest of the room’s occupants. His eyes scanned the room until they settled on Yuuri.

“You!”

Yuuri stopped, his body folded on itself as he held onto his heel. He glanced around himself, before looking back at the younger boy. “Me?”

“Yes, you!” Stalking forward, Yuri shoved a finger in Yuuri’s face, “I can’t understand why you of all people are going out with that idiot! You are so much better than that, Katsudon!”

At lost for words, Yuuri could only blink while Phichit jumped up into a sitting position.

“Going out?” He turned, and Yuuri could already see his eyes shining in delight, “Yuuri, you never told me you were dating someone!”

“Katsuki is what?”

“He’s dating???”

“Wait, who is it???”

A gasp had Yuuri focus on his right, and Chris had a hand on his chest, “Yuuri! I thought we had something special!” He had his head tilted, looking up through his lashes, “Was it just me? Were you playing with my heart?”

“I—“ Yuuri frowned, brows furrowed as he sat up, “Wait.” He looked at Phichit, “I thought you knew? You—“ He glanced in Chris’ direction, “You set it up? In the auditorium?” The confusion only grew and Yuuri’s palms began to sweat. “I mean—that’s the only way—Victor wouldn’t—he can’t—“

“Victor?”

“Wait, as in Nikiforov???”

Yuuri’s chest heaved but air eluded his lungs, his vision getting black around the edges. In front of him, Yuri Plisetsky shook, his hands balled up into fists, his hair obscuring his eyes.

“You… Are you serious?”

Yuri lifted his head, his eyes glistening in the light, “Victor has been insufferable these last few weeks. During the weekends, I have to listen to him go on and on about how great you are and how happy he is and you—you think this is some joke? What—What the fuck, Katsudon?”

Yuuri opened his mouth, even though he was at lost for words, but Yuri refused to let him try.

“No!” He hit a fist against his thigh, “Victor’s a nerd, yeah, a huge one, but—shit, he likes you more than his _dog_ —is this, is this some sort of _joke_ to you, Katsudon???”

Struggling to his feet, Yuuri took hold of Yuri’s wrist, grip firm as he led the other boy out of the room. From behind, he could still hear his teammates’ questions but refused to answer, instead focusing on finding a secluded spot.

At the first door, they entered the boys’ bathroom, the florescent lights hurting Yuuri’s eyes. He let go of Yuri’s wrist, taking a deep breath. “Okay.” Steeling himself, Yuuri let himself look at the other boy.

“I like Victor.”

“No shit.”

Pursing his lips together, Yuuri let the comment slide. “I like Victor. Yes, I thought his confession was something Phichit and Chris had cooked up. But—“ He held up a hand when Yuri opened his mouth to retort, “But I said yes. And—and I didn’t even think of the past few weeks as a joke. I enjoy Victor’s company.” His cheeks burned, but still he pushed his words through, “I like Victor more now than I did before.” Yuuri balled up his hands at his side, “I… I might even love him.”

At the admission, Yuri seemed to deflate, his shoulders sagging as he let out his own breath. “Well… well good.”

* * *

 

After admitting he was possibly in love with Victor, Yuuri found himself in a pickle. News had flown faster than he thought about his dating life and suddenly he found notes in his locker and even stuffed in his backpack. The notes he couldn’t bring himself to open, thinking maybe the people who wrote them wanted him to break up with Victor. And he didn’t want to, in fact, Yuuri wanted to proudly walk down the halls, holding Victor’s hand in his and not caring who was looking at them. All he wanted was Victor’s eyes on him and only him.

To make matters worse, Victor was nowhere to be found. He wasn’t in the auditorium, or Yakov’s classroom, and Yuuri wasn’t sure there was any other place that Victor liked to frequent.

He shot off a quick text, not even stopping to overthink what the message should be, but still all he got was radio silence.

Yuuri, as the silence dragged on, ran through every single scenario that could possibly happen in his head. Victor didn’t want their relationship to be public. They never went out anywhere, or were particularly lovey-dovey, and as far as Yuuri knew, he had never met any of Victor’s friends. Maybe Victor was ashamed that he would be seen with Yuuri and cut his losses while he was ahead.

Maybe—Maybe he was wrong in thinking Phichit and Chris set him up for a joke if Victor thought it was a joke from the beginning.

Lost in this thoughts, Yuuri stopped and stared once he realized he had walked from the school to Mr. Feltsman’s house. The lights weren’t on, of course, they weren’t. No one was home, by the look of it, but…

Yuuri made his way up to the front door and without thinking about it, knocked on the door. From within the house, he heard Makkachin start to bark, the clicks of his nails hitting the floor before the barks were on the other side of the door.

Underneath the barks, Yuuri heard the distinct sound of Victor’s voice as he tried to shush the large poodle.

“Calm down, Makkachin, shh…” The door swung open, revealing Victor looking down at his dog, “I’m really sorr—Yuuri.”

Yuuri gulped, as soon as Victor’s eyes fell on him, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Hi, Victor.” He knew his voice wobbled, but he kept going, “I need to talk to you.”

“I…” There was a pause before Victor nodded, opening the door wider, “Come on in.” The smile he wore on his face didn’t reach his eyes.

They sat on the living room couch, and Victor sat, his hands folded on his lap, facing Yuuri.

“What did you want to talk about?”

Taking a deep breath, Yuuri balled up his fists, “Let’s end this.” He lowered his head.

“What?”

It was soft, almost a whisper, and if the house hadn’t been as quiet as it was, Yuuri was sure he would have missed it.

“The thing is,” Yuuri shut his eyes, dreading what he was about to say, but he had to say it, “when you first confessed? I thought—well—I was so sure it was something Phichit and Chris came up with. But then,” pressing a hand to his face, he rubbed the area around his mouth, “But then I got to know you, really know you, and it didn’t seem like something you would do. And then today, Yuri—Plisetsky, you know him—said some things and—Phichit and Chris were so confused—it was only when Yuri talked to me that I realized that—that I—Are you crying?”

During his tirade, Yuuri opened his eyes, lifting up his head and was greeted by giant tears falling from Victor’s eyes and down his cheeks.

Victor’s mouth opened, as if he was about to say something, only to have it shut. Rinse and repeat. The tears continued to fall and Yuuri, before he knew what he was doing, reached up and lifted Victor’s bangs away from his face.

Victor jerked away, his tears flying off his face at the motion, “What are you doing?”

Dropping his hand back on his lap, Yuuri frowned, “I never saw you cry before…”

“I’m mad, okay?” Closing his eyes, Victor sucked in a breath, but the tears continued. “I… Is this about the jacket? After the play, you never mentioned it and—it’s not like I stole it or anything—you gave it to me, so I didn’t see why I shouldn’t wear it—“

“Wait.” Yuuri held up a hand, “I gave you…?”

Victor paused, even his tears stopped forming on his eyelids. “You… On New Year’s.” There was a flush on his cheeks, “You said I should never be cold.”

Frowning, Yuuri shook his head, “But I was at JJ’s for New Year’s. The last thing I remember was… doing shots with Chris and… and then I woke up the next morning at home. I don’t… even remember seeing the ball drop…” He risked a glance at Victor, finding that the tears once again started to flow. “…Victor?”

Victor lifted a hand, running his fingers through his hair as he let out a watery chuckle. “Amazing. This is just perfect.” He dropped his hand, rising to his feet, “I think you should go.”

“But Victor…”

The smile on Victor’s face was frozen in place, tear tracks standing out on his skin, “These past few weeks have been…” The smile faltered, giving a glimpse of what Victor was really feeling before the gates slammed shut. “Thanks for coming over, you can go now.”

Getting to his feet, Yuuri stayed rooted to the floor. “Victor.”

“You need to leave before Yakov gets home.”

“ _Victor_.”

“He doesn’t like having company over, so the sooner you leave, the better.”

“Victor, I like you.”

There was a small intake of breath, “Please leave, Yuuri.”

Instead of withdrawing, Yuuri took a tentative step forward, “I’m sorry.” When Victor made no move, he took another step, “I’m sorry, for hurting your feelings, for forgetting. And…” He reached, letting his fingers entangle with Victor’s, “I’d like us to try again, if you’ll let it.”

He felt the fingers in his own tighten before he found himself in a bone-crushing hug. His shoulder grew damp the longer the hug lasted, but Yuuri found he didn’t care. He returned the hug, his arms tightening around Victor’s waist.

“Yes. Let’s.”

* * *

 

“Yuuri and Victor are the cutest couple to come out of Stammi Vicino High.”

“They were crowned Prom King and King, first when Yuuri was still a junior, and later when Victor had already graduated!”

“Yeah, they’re alright, but Isabella and I are the best!”

“Yuuri wouldn’t want this known, but he had the biggest crush on Victor even before Stammi Vicino. I’m talking like back in middle school. I’m so proud of my son.”

“Victor deserves to be loved, and if it’s by Katsuki, well, all the best to them both.”

“Victor and Katsudon are gross. They need to stop being all lovey-dovey. It’s disgusting.”

“…”

“Yeah, I know, I’m glad they got together. Those idiots deserve each other.”


End file.
